


i never thought i'd actually meet you

by whisperfinn



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Bill Denbrough is a Good Friend, Bisexual Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak & Beverly Marsh Are Best Friends, Eddie Kaspbrak is a Mess, Endgame Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Famous Richie Tozier, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, M/M, Minor Bill Denbrough/Audra Phillips, Minor Bill Denbrough/Stanley Uris, Richie Tozier is a Little Shit, Soft Richie Tozier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-01 12:07:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15142748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whisperfinn/pseuds/whisperfinn
Summary: eddie never thought he'd meet the cute boy who leads his best friend's band.(the guitarist!richie and fanboy!eddie fic everybody needs even if u cringe a little. its cute. u need it.)





	1. happy birthday, eddie

“How are we feeling tonight, Los Angeles?” A curly headed boy with a microphone stand between his hands and a smile that seemed much too large for his face asked the crowd below him. Eddie Kaspbrak’s hand found its way to his best friend’s, glancing over at him before they both turned back towards the three man band on stage, screaming back in excitement.

Just a year ago, Eddie wouldn’t have believed his life would come to something as incredible as this, even if present him had visited the Eddie Kaspbrak from last year. The Eddie who thought that high school never would come to an end. The Eddie who believed that he’d be stuck in Derry, Maine for the rest of his life, and that he would never get out. The Eddie who watched both of his best friends start making plans for the future without him. But here he was, and Eddie had gotten out. He’d graduated, and he’d followed Bill Denbrough wherever he wanted to go. They’d ended up in LA, the city of dreams. On his twenty-first birthday, Eddie Kaspbrak found himself at the front of a crowd on a Saturday night, even though he had a midterm to be studying for. Because Bill had yelled at him that it was okay to stop being a tight-ass sometimes, and because his other best friend, Beverly Marsh had followed her own dreams and joined a band. Eddie and Bill had followed along with their music, learning they actually had a nice alternative sound with a softness that almost anybody could enjoy. As soon as they signed a record deal and ended up on tour, it was only a matter of time before their favorite redhead was performing in their city.

 

And here she was, just to the right on stage from where they stood against barrier, eyes shining and spirit bright. The other members were not strangers, but Bill and Eddie didn’t know much about them. Well, Bill didn’t, anyway. Eddie had taken quite a liking to the band’s lead man, always joking that one day he would marry that curly headed boy in the Instagram photos he would show Bill while they laid on Eddie’s bed in his dorm when they were just 18. Ben Hanscom was in the back on the drums, Stanley Uris on bass, and Richie and Beverly on guitar and vocals.

 

Richie turned his head to the bassist with a goofy grin on his face. “How you feeling tonight, Stanny boy?” He seemed to know what Stan’s response would be, because he laughed before he even replied.

 

“It was going nice until you called me Stanny boy. You think the crowd would cheer me on if i got some duct tape to shut you up, Richard?” The crowd laughed and whooped while Richie dropped his head, shaking it disappointedly. “What about you, Red?” he directs his attention towards Beverly, making Eddie finally take his eyes off of Richie. She looked stunning- clad in tight black jeans and a red halter top to match her flashy red lipstick. Her incredibly edgy look made her intimidating at least, but anybody who knew Beverly knew she had a kind heart. One that sometimes even got her in trouble.

 

“I’m having a great time, Rich. LA is making us feel pretty good up here. How are you guys feeling?” She calls out to the crowd, stepping back from her own mic when “I love you’s” and “fuck yeahs” came as a response. After the screaming calmed down a little, she turned back to Richie, taking a step closer, a daring look on her face. “You wanna do me a favor, Tozier?” The smile on her red lips seemed anything but innocent, and he gulped dramatically in reply before he spoke.

 

“Gee, I don’t know, Red. Hiding a body is kind of a one-time thing for me. I don’t know how I would feel about becoming your organized crime pal. That’s totally different. Not something I’m prepared for. I’m probably gonna land us in prison and-” he cut himself off, keeping up his nervous act by running both of his hands through his messy hair that Eddie hadn’t been able to take his attention off of all night.

 

“Shut up, Trashmouth. I need you to do a shot with me. To celebrate.”

 

Richie laughed, dropping his arms back down to his sides and shrugging to the crowd. “I can’t turn down a shot, can I?” before glancing behind him at Ben, who only shook his head in disagreement. He only grinned at him before turning back around. “What are we celebrating? Are you finally confessing that you’re completely in love with me and have your eyes set on no other man?”

 

Beverly, who had used the time while Richie talked to grab not only two but three shot glasses from a stagehand, was now completely smirking. Some comment slipped her mouth about how she “had her eyes on no men, shithead,” and her eyes were searching the crowd. It only took her a few moments to find her five foot best friend from the shitty small town they’d suffered growing up in together, and that’s where it all began. Eddie locked eyes with her, waving when he knew she’d noticed him. His body was pressed up against the metal railing, so there was no way he could get any closer. Beside him, Bill matched his excitement and whooped, using his hands to yell, “I want one!” along with a few others in the pit.

 

“You remember my best friend Eddie from back home, Rich?” Beverly spoke without moving her fiery gaze from the boy she spoke about. “He’s twenty one today. I figured there was no better place to take your first legal shot,”. Eddie’s smile hadn’t faltered until she broke their eye contact to look at Richie again with that mischievous smile on her face. The realization of what she was suggesting had still been trying to sink into his chest when she began waving him up. He felt a nudge to his shoulder, feeling Bill encourage him. Eddie looked around him, realizing that there was no way out of this pit, mentally thanking god for getting him out of this one. Social media stalking Richie was one thing, but he had never planned on talking to him. Let alone in front of a crowd of 10,000. Eddie was looking back to Bill, shrugging as he knew getting out wasn’t an option, until he felt hands on his waist. Eyes followed the arms connected to the firm grasp on his body until he landed on the **Security** letters written across his shirt. _Oh no. No no no,_ he thought, but it was too late. His feet were relieved of his weight, and he was being hoisted up and over the railing, pushed right on the front of the stage.

 

Eddie stood with his back to the crowd, mouth fallen agape as he took in what had just happened. He had been brought onto this stage, whether he fucking liked it or _not,_ and now his best friend was chuckling at him from a few inches away. Her manicured hand reached under his chin and lifted his jaw back shut before slinging her arm over his figure and turning him towards the crowd. “Can we tell Eddie Happy Birthday, everyone?” she called out, shifting the two shot glasses in her one hand before guiding them towards the boy that Eddie was so scared of. Although he wasn’t sure if he was more terrified of 10,000 people watching him right now, or that he was about to meet _the_ Richie Tozier.

 

_This is so not a big deal,_ he told himself. _Calm down. This isn’t a big deal._

As they came to a stop, Eddie’s eyes landed on the black Doc Martens of the concern at hand. His eyes made their way up until finally locking with Richie’s brown ones. _He’s tall._ Eddie lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. There was a tense moment where the presence of Beverly right next to him seemed like the only thing keeping him from running right off of that stage. But then he remembered Bill, and how he’d forced him out tonight. Bill just wanted him to let loose, and to have fun.

 

_I can be fun,_ Eddie thought. Next thing he knew, he was taking the shot glass full of what he could only assume to be whiskey and he was clinking it with Beverly’s, followed by Richie’s while the crowd began to sing the Happy Birthday song under Stan’s direction. The liquid burned the back of his throat, and he accepted it as a reward.

Richie was leaning in, and he was whispering in Eddie’s ear so that he could hear him. “Happy Birthday, cutie,” he spoke, pulling away with a wink and a grin on his face. It was all over way too fast, and the security guard was helping him off stage and placing him right back in his barrier spot before the warmth in his chest made an appearance. Eddie wasn’t sure if that was from the alcohol or because he’d talked to the boy of his dreams, but his hand found its way over his heart instead of Bill’s hand this time, and it stayed there while he sang along to the rest of the songs in the second half of the set.

 

It still hadn’t completely sunk in by the time he watched Richie shake out his hair and put his arms around his bandmates’ backs, taking their final bow. And it hadn’t sunk in while he yelled, “goodnight, LA! you’ve been fucking rad!” and it hadn’t sunk in while Bill drove Eddie back to his apartment he shared with Mike.

 

After climbing into bed, he’d mindlessly browsed through concert pictures on Instagram and Twitter from the show, saving every picture until he found a video of him and Richie in the same frame, clinking their glasses and downing the alcohol. Eddie hadn’t even finished watching it before he’d asked the owner to dm it to him so he could save it. He typed out the caption, “best twenty first a boy could ask for” with the first post a picture of all three of them, the next a picture of Richie in blue lighting where Eddie’s spot had been right under him, and smiled as he let the last video play after it uploaded. It still hadn’t sunk in that Eddie had met the boy he’d been obsessed with since he was 18 while he watched a video of him whispering into his ear, knowing what Richie had said even though the video hadn’t picked it up.

 

It _finally_ hit Eddie Kaspbrak when he was sending his goodnight text to Bill and got a notification that read,

**“@OfficialRichieTozier** _is now following you!”_

 


	2. charge your phone, eddie

Eddie had a long flight, and by the time he made it up the three flights of stairs, which he chose to climb despite the elevator even in his most tired state, he was basically stumbling in the doorway of the apartment after pushing the door open. He abandoned his luggage by the doorway momentarily and his feet found the way into the kitchen, where he filled up a glass left on the counter with water from the refrigerator. Eddie’s eyes flitted over to the bulky microwave sitting on the countertop. It glared  _ 3:02  _ back at him. Bill and Eddie’s flight back from Maine hadn’t left until 11pm, and the airport had been a crazy mess due to it being the night before New Year’s Eve. The mix of all-day anxiety and the two small cups of wine he’d ordered out of pure nerves were completely to blame for Eddie’s exhaustion. Despite this, he set his glass of water down, wincing slightly when it clinked against the counter loudly while Mike was still trying to sleep, and slid his phone out of his pocket. 

 

_ 5%. I better make this quick _ , he tsked. A quick “made it home :)” in the family group chat, one to his friend group chat and a call to his mother he was glad she didn’t answer, and Eddie could finally go to sleep. 

 

This didn’t dissolve his curiosity though, and on his last 2% of battery, his thumb found the Instagram icon. His own profile welcomed him, and he immediately scrolled past the picture he’d posted with Bill and his family on Christmas, finding the concert post. Richie’s comment still hung at the bottom, regardless of the 220 comments, because he had 1.1million followers. 

 

_ “Happy birthday, Eds!” _

 

The smile made its way onto Eddie’s face before he even had a chance to fight it. He didn’t want to. This was single-handedly the best thing that had happened to him all year. Well, to be fair, there were only about 11 more hours of 2017, but Eddie figured it was the thing to top it all. He tapped on the comment, accidentally unliking the comment. The red heart disappeared just as fast as it reappeared when he clicked it in reaction. A blush quickly rose to his cheeks at the realization he’d just liked a comment from three weeks ago, but he brushed it off. 

_ He won’t even see it. He gets way too many notifications in an hour to see it.  _

 

Eddie had clicked into Richie’s profile before he knew it, mindlessly scrolling through his feed. Mostly just stage photos under that same blue lighting Eddie had captured, a few pictures with friends, one with his arm hung around Beverly’s shoulders. For a split second, he found himself jealous of Beverly. Not only did she get to  _ sing _ on stage with him, but she got to travel the world and be around him all the time. Suddenly Eddie would kill to be a redhead with guitar talent, but unfortunately, the world had a different plan for him. He flicked his finger up to bring the next picture into view of Richie’s back to the camera, facing a crowd with his arms in the air. His shirt was stuck to his back with sweat, but it only added to the entire mood of the photo. The front row of the crowd all had their hands up, mouths open as if they were screaming in excitement. Off to the very side he saw a boy in a bright red shirt, just like the one he wore on his birthday.  _ Wait a second.  _ Eddie squinted as he pinched his fingers to bring in the man with his arms up, a big smile on his face. It was Eddie. A proud smile found its way across his lips once more as he scrolled down to check the date of the photo. Sure enough, it was posted the same night as the concert. 

_ How did I not see this?  _ He questioned. 

_ Fake fan, _ he teased himself with a small laugh and shake of his head. Right as he was about to read the caption, the loading wheel took over his phone screen before it went black. Eddie dropped his phone on the counter, no longer concerned with his roommate’s beauty sleep. His head dropped into his hands, fingers tugging at the ends for the hundredth time in this anxiety-filled day. After forcing his eyes back open so he didn’t fall asleep right there on the island, Eddie picked himself up and shuffled over to the door to pick up his suitcase. The wheels kept getting stuck on the hall rug as he dragged it, but wasn’t bothered enough to pick it up. A musty smell annoyed his nose, and he rubbed at it tiredly. His bedroom was still welcoming enough, and Eddie hadn’t even bothered kicking his shoes off before he fell on his bed, face smushed into the pillows he’d missed so much. 

 

Minutes passed before Eddie groaned, forcing himself to sit up. He wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight if he didn’t brush his teeth, so he willed himself up and into the bathroom so he could rinse his face and clean himself up. Catching himself in the reflection, Eddie grimaced at the condition of his hair and skin, and threw all noise caution to the wind while he got into the shower. The hot water soothed him, almost willing him back to sleep. 

It was nearly 4:30 now, and Eddie sighed. He had promised to meet up with his friends at 2 o’clock, so they could day drink. It was their New Year’s tradition- to never remember it. He grabbed his phone from the kitchen, plugging in and dropping it on the dresser. 

 

As Eddie fell into bed at last, clean and in his pajamas, he allowed himself a moment to reflect on the past year, which had been a very nice one. The fear that the next year couldn’t  _ possibly _ go as well as this, because his luck didn’t work like that started to sink into his chest, so he fought it off by reassuring himself that he has to give the future a chance. His final thoughts before drifting off followed along the lines of picturing what Beverly’s new apartment looked like and if he’d meet any famous people at her party tomorrow night. 

 

_ What if Richie is there? _

 

No, he probably had plans. 

 

_ But Ben will be there. _

 

That’s because Ben is Beverly’s boyfriend. Or, that’s what Bill believes and Eddie supposes it makes sense. 

 

Eddie turns his pillow over and sticks his head in it, tired eyes glued shut when his eyelids finally met. He guesses he’ll find out tomorrow, but he probably won’t remember New Year’s Eve and the party anyways-- he never does. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi girly pops this took me 2 weeks to write sorry if it sux  
> the next chapter will be up way sooner xo


	3. wear the white one, eddie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i cant stop laughing at the fact that in chapter 1 i called the band a three man band and then described the FOUR members lmfao why didnt anybody call me out

2pm came way too fast for Eddie’s liking. So fast, in fact, he’d slept right through it. The constant buzzing of his phone against his dresser is what finally broke his deep sleep. With a groan, Eddie turned over onto his stomach and brought his feather pillow over his head, trying to drown out the noise. He’d almost drifted back to sleep when his phone relented, causing the pillow to be tossed off of the bed, victim to his morning, (afternoon), pains. Never having been a friend to the morning sun that awakened him, Eddie flung his covers off of his legs and trudged towards his phone. Beverly and Bill were responsible for its constant noise, demanding to know where their best friend was. It was New Years’ Eve, after all. “Our favorite time of the year, and you’re fucking missing it” as Bev had kindly worded it in her insistent messages to their group chat.

 

Eddie shook his head, shrugging off the dramatics of his redheaded best friend.

 

_How late did I sleep?_

 

 _3:52_ his lock screen read back to him. _fuck._

 

Even after sleeping almost 12 hours, yesterday’s anxieties and jet lag were still catching up to him. Just as he’d adjusted to Eastern time in Maine, he was thrown back three hours once again. He sighed, not overjoyed to be feeling so slack. Pulling open the drawers of his dresser while reading more angry texts from Bev, he pulled out a simple outfit to change into. Eddie didn’t care what today was-- he couldn’t be bothered to care. He slipped on his tennis shoes and grabbed his car keys on his way out of his shared apartment of Mike, who was supposed to drop by Bev’s party tonight.

 

There was bumper to bumper traffic in Los Angeles today, as expected. The GPS on Eddie’s phone predicted an entire hour travel time to the address that had been given to him for Bev’s new place. After getting some coffee in his system, the morning’s anger had subsided, and now Eddie was feeling pure excitement. The trio was finally going to be reunited, and he couldn’t wait. The party was half a housewarming party doubled as a New Years’ celebration. It all worked out perfectly since Beverly had more contacts than Bill and Eddie combined now that she was famous and no doubt had the nicest place.

 

An instagram notification disturbed the top of his screen, and his thumb pressed on it as soon as he read Richie’s username. A boomerang on his story of his favorite guitarist giving the camera his signature toothy grin and a big thumbs up, wild black curls falling in front of his eyes. “ _Hope everyone’s having a rockin’ New Years. Party your fucking hearts out tonight!”_

 

Eddie screenshotted the story as soon as he finished reading, adding it to a folder of pictures in his camera roll. He didn’t even feel bad about it, knowing there was no way Richie Tozier would see that he’d done it, as Eddie was sure so many other girls had. Traffic started moving once again, and he was at the front door of her house before he knew it. He hadn’t been expecting a house, let alone a two-story one in such a nice neighborhood. His lack of party attire had finally hit him, but he tried not to be bothered by it, his best friends wouldn’t care how he looked.

 

As soon as she answered the door, Eddie was swallowed into a soft hug from his oldest friend. This was the first time he’d really seen her since last year when she’d visited LA to play a gig, not counting The Stage Encounter. Beverly pulled away from the hug and gave Eddie a quick once over, lips turning down as a disapproving look worked its way onto her face.

 

“I’m so glad you’re finally here Dumbass, but you look like shit. Did you sleep in that outfit last night?” Eddie laughed despite his slight annoyance of being insulted before even getting through the door. He’d thrown on some running shorts and a plain t-shirt, not ruling it as a too inappropriate casual dress. Maybe he should have reconsidered, knowing he was visiting a nearly-fashion designer’s home. If **_Blue It_ ** didn’t work out, the Losers were sure she would’ve made it in the fashion world.

 

“What, it’s not that bad. I threw it on while you were yelling at me to get over here! That’s what I did.” Eddie defended, stepping past Bev since she was too busy scrutinizing his clothing decisions to invite him in. He was welcomed to a modern family home, sparsely furnished. With some wandering, he discovered four bedrooms and two bathrooms, numerous boxes in each room. Eddie knew Beverly was a hoarder, but he didn’t know she had _this much stuff._ He also noted that besides a small futon serving as a temporary sofa, she hadn’t bothered unpacking.

 

“I knew she had a lot of shit, but not this much shit,” Eddie snickered, joining Bill in the kitchen. There were no table or chairs for the island, so he took a seat on the counter next to him. The kitchen was massive, almost two of the one he had in his tiny-in-comparison apartment. “S-she mentioned h-having a roommate,” he offered.

 

“Really? And here I thought I was the only one who could handle sharing their space,” Eddie replied, chipping at Bill’s insistence to get his own apartment when they made the move here.

 

Beverly reentered the house after taking a phone call outside. _It must’ve been important_ , he thought, _for her to take it outside_ . Her eyebrows were pinched together like she was pondering something, but before Eddie could worry about it, it was replaced with a smirk. “You like the new place?” she asked, reaching behind Bill to grab a bottle of red wine off the counter. Eddie made quick eye contact with the other boy, only for his eyes to avoid meeting Eddie’s. He was confused. _Am I missing something here?_

 

The search through the boxes for the corkscrew proved more difficult than it was worth, as most of the ones labeled “Kitchen” actually belonged to the bathroom or some other room. “My roommate’s kind of a dumbass,” she dismissed, giving her the same name she had Eddie minutes ago and abandoned the box she was searching through. She dug through her purse for her car keys, lifting her head at her friends to grin wickedly at them. “Watch and learn boys,” she voiced, returning to her place with the neck of the bottle gripped in her hand while she shoved her key into the cork with the other. With a bit of turning, it slipped right out with a small _pop_.

 “Where did y-you learn th-that?” Bill stuttered, just as shocked as Eddie. The grin spread even wider on her face. “Back in my party days,” she said, tipping her head back to take a drink right from the bottle.

 

“You’re still in your party days,” Eddie pointed out. The sentence was completely ironic because not only was she a literal _rockstar_ with men and women throwing themselves at her, she was in her prime age _and_ attending parties almost every night. Also, she was throwing a party in merely 5 hours. Speaking of, “you’re gonna have a bunch of people here without anything besides alcohol and a futon unpacked?” Eddie questioned, judgmentally. He snatched the bottle out of her hands and took a healthy swig himself, nearly coughing at the bitter taste. He wasn’t much of red wine drinker these days. “Haven’t you been here for almost three days, Bev? Your roommate too?”, he pushed. Whoever Bev’s roommate was, he wasn’t too keen on her already. He loved his best friend, but somebody was gonna need to keep her in check if he couldn’t do it himself.

 

Eddie would’ve offered to move with Beverly but he particularly liked his current living situation. Mike Hanlon gave him enough space for Eddie to breathe, but he was almost always around. Eddie never liked being completely lonely. They were decent friends, but they didn’t interfere in each other’s personal lives often-- the invite to the party had come from Eddie’s obligation to invite him after telling him of his New Year’s plans this year. Mike had promised to try and stop by, it ultimately not being a big deal to either of them. Eddie liked it that way.

 

The remainder of his time with Bev and Bill before the party was entertained with the wine passed between the three of them, and Eddie’s insisting on them helping her get a start on unpacking. Somewhere along the way, the wine glasses had been found. They laughed while Beverly divided the rest of the liquid evenly between their glasses, not even half full. They’d already polished off most of the bottle together during their messing around the past few hours. Most of the productive work had come from Eddie, but he didn’t mind all that much.

 

 

 

The sun set way too quickly for Eddie’s liking, and he was upstairs in Beverly’s room, clothes strewn all over her floor to find him a suitable outfit for the party when the doorbell chimed the first of many times that night. He turned to Bill to dissolve his worry, but he was no help. The dark jeans he had on were the most comfortable thing he’d put on his legs so far, so he decided to stick to those. “Wear the white sweater!”, Beverly encouraged over her shoulder while she ran downstairs to get the door. He could hear her loud laugh breaking through the silence of the house, and two other voices as well. It was go time. Eddie sighed and pulled the oversized, knit sweater in question over his head for the third time, deciding to just stick with it this time. His hair was a mess from all of the changing, and he swept his fingers through it a few times so it was a _neat_ kind of messy. Eddie liked things to be neat. After swiftly picking up the rejected accessories and shirts, pushing them back into their box, Eddie shut off the light. He closed the door after Bill and made his way downstairs, hoping his outfit wasn’t _too gay._

 

Beverly had already abandoned Eddie, and it had only been a matter of time before Bill did too. Eddie did his best not to pout. It’s not like he wouldn’t be seeing so much more of her now. There was no distance between them anymore, excluding tour, and there would be many moments in 2018 where he wouldn’t have to share his best friend that he missed oh-so-much. For now, he would. He wandered past Bill and Stan, the bassist of _Blue It_ , catching part of Bill’s speech about being an aspiring artist. He resisted the eye roll that came as a reaction to hearing his best friend’s terrible party conversation topics. Stan seemed nice enough about it, shaking his head where his curls bounced around, chuckling at Bill’s little jokes that were always interrupted by his stutter. Briefly, Eddie considered butting his way in so he could introduce himself. Beverly was traveling the worth this kid after all, but he thought better of it when he saw the bottle of tequila on the counter calling his name.

 

 

 

It was only about 10:30 right now, and Eddie was four shots in, stumbling over himself. Not often a heavy drinker, Eddie excused his desire to get wasted as it being the holiday tradition. Deciding to step away from the kitchen for a moment before corrupting his ability to make better decisions, he made his way towards the living room. Bill and Stan weren’t there anymore, but he did spot Stan across the room with Beverly.

 

Now seemed as good a time as ever to introduce himself, and he was encouraged by the waving of her arm as soon as they locked eyes. Eddie pushed past the group of people dancing in the section of the dining room that joined the living room, noticing a few faces of people he’d definitely seen on social media or on the front of a magazine. It felt like an eternity before he finally reached Beverly and Stan, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed another person huddled in their group. Beverly was whispering in his ear while his tall figure leaned into her small frame, as if to hear over the music.

 

Against his will, Eddie felt his heartbeat against his ribcage. He didn’t think he would _be here._

 

_What the fuck._

 

_Why didn’t she tell me?_

 

Well, Stan was there. _Fuck. Why didn’t I think of that?_

 

_Of course her band is gonna be here._

 

Eddie swallowed his doubt, only succeeding due to the alcohol in his system. Carefully, he made his last few strides up to the group, who were all in the middle of a laugh. Richie was looking at Eddie though, as if he was expecting him.

 

“Eds! So nice to see you again,” he commented, not helping Eddie’s calm facade, and gave him a big smile that he recognized. Not because he’d ever made Richie smile like this before, but because he had a million pictures saved in his phone of other people who had, in a folder named ‘blue boy’.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i tried not to split this in 2 but its so long im sorry


	4. it's just a game, eddie

Eddie wasn’t sure what time his watch would’ve read to him if he looked, but he definitely knew it was time for a distraction. After mumbling his awkward greeting to the boy with unruly hair who appeared in his camera roll more often than his own face, Eddie had been trying to escape the accidental foursome he’d joined. Richie’s blaring smile and loud mouth was the epitome of overwhelming to Eddie. Now that he had the chance to say anything he ever wanted to Richie, the boy of his dreams, his mind was completely going blank. It was embarrassing, really, and he wanted out of there before he actually did open his mouth. But every time he turned, Beverly seemed to catch on to his intentions and would tug on his (her) sweater sleeve to pull him right back into the conversation. He stayed mostly quiet as Richie told stories, who kept making comments to irritate Stanley every so often. He couldn’t hold back the laughs that escaped his lips when Richie would crack them.

 

“--And that’s really the last time I’ll ever make a man a playlist. Heart? Shattered. Just because you love smash hits only Stanley, doesn’t mean that my music taste is invalid. That would be yours,” he paused to blow a kiss to Stanley, who elbowed him in reaction.

 

“I listen to more than smash hits! Excuse me for not wanting to hear your 80s rock bands as my “Stanley’s seductive sleep mix”. Some of us like to keep our hearing with headphones in.” Another eye roll from Stanley was instantly paired with Richie’s signature grin. Seeing these two interact up close and not on camera was...strange, to say the least. While Eddie was completely immersed in Stan and Richie, Beverly had been sneaking glances towards her own childhood best friend. He wasn’t sure what she was curious about or why she was staring at him, but the thought of the strange phone call was doing the opposite of settling his churning stomach.

 

A voice broke out from the middle of the noise all around the living room where they currently stood, which was soon matched to Gretta Keene’s face that appeared above the crowd after taking a step up on the futon placed in the middle of the room. “Everyone come to the living room for some games! Midnight’s in an hour!” She announced, resulting in everyone’s beginning to scramble towards the room they currently occupied.

 

Eddie wanted no part of it. He excused himself without sneaking another glance towards Richie and fought against the people piling in towards where he was going. Bill caught his hand and tried to pull him back towards the living room, but he shook him off with a poor excuse that he “would join in next game”. Somehow the bottle of tequila he’d taken shots from was still on the kitchen counter, a fourth of the way full. He poured himself another shot, shaking some salt onto his hand before licking it and knocking the drink back without a chaser. It tasted awful.

 

“I hope you’re pouring one for me too,” a steady voice called from behind him. Eddie turned around, wiping his mouth with his sleeve while his eyes met those of Ben Hanscom. “Ahh, indeed,” he replied. He turned around and began to pour another one, filling it until it almost overflowed and shoved it towards Ben. Some of it spilled on the tile in between them, but neither paid any mind. Ben disregarded Eddie’s sloppiness and took the shot dry as well, coughing a little in the aftermath.

 

“That’s horrible tequila,” he laughed, wiping his mouth as well. Eddie stared at him openly, not remembering it's not normal to just stare at people. A smile broke across his face when he remembered who Ben was. “I know. That shit is so bad.” he laughed along, turning back around so he could see the counter before hopping onto it again. Silence came over them, but it was expected between two drunken strangers. Well, Eddie knew more about Ben than Ben probably did, but he didn’t have to know that.

 

“Not in the mood for party games?” he asked in lack of a different subject to bring up, swinging his legs around until they hit the cupboards. They bounced off of each other, but Eddie hardly noticed.

 

“Not much of a party goer in general,” Ben admitted. “But I figured I needed to be more drunk before spin the bottle”. Eddie grimaced, abandoning his seat on the counter to rummage through the fridge. He found a half-empty bottle of coca cola, so he dumped it into a glass along with some coconut rum. He was past his desire for a neat drink and accepted his fate that spelled out not remembering anything he had in his mouth tonight anyways. “I fuckin’ hate spin the bottle. That doesn’t make any sense. If you wanna kiss someone just ask? Right?”

 

Ben shrugged, looking down at his shoes with rosy cheeks as if he’d just been called out. He was lucky that Eddie didn’t take notice. He’d found himself on more than one occasion trying to play matchmaker while this intoxicated. It never ended well. Beverly will tell anybody the stories of Eddie approaching guys at the bar just to say they’d look cute with a lonely man at the corner booth. He’d been slapped once.

 

“Fuck it,” Eddie continued without waiting for a reply from the other boy. “I’ll play, but if I have to kiss Richie, I’ll probably die,” he confessed. His lack of filter didn’t seem to surprise Ben, but he still seemed intrigued. His eyebrows shot up, looking over at Eddie with shining eyes. “Richie, huh? Beverly always told me you would love him, but I never thought she meant literally.”

 

Eddie shrugged, somehow remaining unbothered by the embarrassing conversation. Ben could tell Richie all of this, all of his confessions, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He couldn’t get his own words out when that boy was around. It wasn’t like Richie was intimidating-- not even in the least, but he somehow had an effect on Eddie that didn’t allow his brain to process coherent thoughts when he was near. It was easily passable as his fame, but deep down Eddie knew it was something else. There was _something else._

  
  
  


                              |x|

  


Spin the bottle was short lived. Ben and Eddie arrived just as Jack, one of the band’s friends as Ben filled him in, had returned from rifling in the hallway closet. He seemed to have found what he was looking for, with a triumphant smile on his face as he took his place on the floor again. He flicked a playing card from two fingers into the middle of a circle of people that had formed. An ace of hearts landed face up on the carpet, its bright red symbols faded with time.

 

Eddie took a seat on the floor next to Bill, who had Stanley on his right. Jack scooted over so he was tightly pressed against Eddie, letting another girl sit where he was. Beverly was across the circle, with Richie and Ben on her other sides. Another boy took a seat next to Richie, and just as Stan was scooting in to connect the circle, Mike sat down in the empty space. Eddie’s roommate hadn’t been there long, as far as he knew, but he sure did always find a way to time his entrances perfectly. He had an easy smile on his face as he greeted Stanley and the stranger next to Richie, making them both laugh. Eddie just about ground his teeth out of jealousy. Mike was so good at making instant friends, and here Eddie was, still planning in his head how to even _talk_ to the band members, let alone befriend them.

 

“Suck and blow, huh?” Mike wondered out loud, eyes shining brightly. Eddie was drawn from his thoughts, a frown forming on his face. _Suck and blow? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me._

 

Eddie had seen _Clueless_ , and he knew what that game entitled. Before he had a chance to abandon his membership to the participant circle, Richie’s voice stopped him.

“Oh _fuck_ yeah! I’m gonna ACE this one!” he yelled, making the group laugh. Eddie rolled his eyes, not at all amused at the circumstances. He knew he’d be hearing them for the entirety of the game, and he was already over it.

 

Downing the rest of his drink, Eddie crossed his legs and sighed. Quickly assessing his teammates, he made the realization that the people he’d inevitably be kissing were Bill-- not ideal but he could live with it; and Jack. The blonde haired boy on his left had apparently been doing the same, as he caught Eddie’s gaze, sizing him up and biting his lip to hold back a cocky smile. Eddie only rolled his eyes again, moving the sleeves of the sweater to cover his hands so he could dig his fingernails into his palms undetected. A nervous habit he knew he should break. Then he caught Richie and Beverly sharing a knowing look, mischievous looks in their eyes. Eddie didn’t know what if it was the alcohol or just his pitiful luck, but he felt extremely jealous. He tried to convince himself it was Richie he was jealous of.

 

Mike, who hadn’t paused his conversation with Stanley since he sat down, finally reached forward to grab the playing card off the ground. He turned to the curly haired boy on his left, lifting the card to his lips. Stan leaned forward in anticipation, ready for the challenge. He sucked in, catching the card on his own lips, turning to pass it to Bill with ease. Bill failed to repeat the action and the ace fell in between them, causing their lips to meet quickly. He quickly picked the card up, turning back to Eddie with a blush on his face. If he had time to tease him, he would’ve--but Bill was blowing out so he could stick it to his own mouth. He turned to pass it to Jack without error, thankful he had lucked out.

 

The girl next to Jack dropped it, resulting in a kiss between them. The card made its way around the circle, passed between Ben, Bev, Richie and the girl next to Mike without issue. Mike dropped the card between him and Stanley, and Eddie noticed Bill’s longing gaze when their lips met. Bill seemed to be distracted from the event, as he dropped it between him and Eddie. If he was sober, he probably would’ve hesitated, but instead, he leaned forward and pecked Bill right on the mouth. He rushed to pass it to Jack, and wasn’t surprised when it tumbled down into his lap when he failed to blow out in time. He just shrugged and planted a kiss on the cocky boy’s lips.

 

Ben was the next to make a mistake, blowing it towards Beverly before she was ready. Nobody missed the blush that rose on his cheeks while he ducked his head to the side to kiss her on the corner of the mouth. She smiled one of her bright smiles at him, only deepening the pink in his cheeks. Still grinning, Bev turned to Richie while she placed the card over her lips. Richie hovered over her, ready to attach the ace to his lips, but he laughed out instead. Eddie watched the card fall in between their legs, counting the three hearts on its face. He didn’t wanna watch what was next.

 

Richie pursed his lips dramatically, waiting for Bev to kiss him. When she did, a quick, loving kiss, Richie’s hand danced up her back until pushing gently towards him, resulting in their lips meeting again. After Eddie counted two whole mississippi's, they pulled away. They both grinned at each other, seemingly in a moment of their own. Richie let out a loud laugh before he reached down to search for the ace of hearts. He aligned it to his mouth, speaking from behind it. “Told ya I’d ace that kiss!”

 

“I think all you did was make hearts drop,” Beverly giggled, shaking her head at the curly headed boy. There it was again. The jealousy. Eddie felt it red hot, burning in his chest, not too different from the effects of the tequila shots. Guilt was quickly taking over his angry thoughts, and a sheen of sweat started to form over his forehead. Had he really let himself have heart _most definitely had dibs on?_ Watching them was making his stomach turn, so he distracted himself by redirection his attention to the stupid party game.

 

“Hey fuckers, nine minutes till midnight!” a drunk boy stumbled into the room, nearly empty bottle of vodka in his raised hand. The circle broke apart as everyone stood up, heading in the direction of the person they wanted to count down with. Beverly and Ben both stood in unison, Ben turning towards her with a determined look on his face. Before he could open his mouth to ask her that burning question in his mind, she giggled, grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the living room in the direction of the kitchen, where Eddie lost them in the crowd. He suddenly understood what Ben was talking about during their conversation earlier, and a happy smile etched onto his face.

 

It quickly fell as soon as his eyes met Richie’s upon turning around in his spot. They were the only two who hadn’t stood, and now they sat directly across from each other for a few moments too long. Richie’s gaze burned into Eddie’s, making him feel as if he was glued to the spot. He racked his brain for something to say, but nothing came. As the tension grew, so did Eddie’s nerves towards the boy. He was irritated that he could never speak to him, and now even more because he knew he couldn’t have him. It was Richie who broke the moment, breaking the contact and groaning before rising to his feet. He glanced at Eddie one more time as he backed out of the room, almost as if he was gonna ask him something.

 

He never got a chance to though, because the ring of Eddie’s phone broke the silence along with the moment. Eddie’s head dropped down to his lap for a moment, shaking his head in disagreement with his courage to speak up at important times. He was a pussy.

 

The buzz of his phone furthered his irritation and he had to hold back a groan while he fished it out of his pocket. His coworker, Patrick. Eddie’s eyes wandered up to the ceiling, stuck on the small details of the drywall mud for few long seconds.

 

Patrick was the epitome of the stereotypical office lover. A poster boy for the secret romance of a novel. He had this pearly white smile with perfectly lined teeth, healthy dark brown hair that fell to his shoulders, slicked behind his ears. He was an attractive man, Eddie could admit, and it was even paired with a cheesy romantic tick and a sense of humor that made him fall for Eddie.

 

Too bad he didn’t buy it. He found Patrick somewhat boring, always feeling obligated to have intellectual conversations with him. He also made him feel almost self-conscious, because the flawless boy had an aura around him that caused you to feel like you need to make an impression.

 

He’d been rejected by Eddie twice now, but still relented. Eddie wasn’t sure why, but he supposed it made him feel desirable. Why was Patrick calling him now, though? With only eight minutes left until midnight? His thumb swiped over his screen to answer the call before he changed his mind and pressed the phone harshly to his ear. He was gonna do his damn best to not share his sober thoughts with Patrick right now.

 

It turned out to be a work emergency, and Eddie had to force himself to think clearly. WIthout grabbing a jacket, he stepped outside into the chilly night air and stood on Beverly’s illuminated porch. They both interned at a software company in Los Angeles that made billions each year. It was Eddie’s biggest accomplishment so far, and he’d been offered the internship when he first started studying to become a software engineer. There he’d met Patrick, who was also going to school to become a systems analyst. He took pride in his position at _Intellectsoft_ , but it often brought him stressful situations at inconvenient times. So there he stood, missing out on the party and the last few moments of 2017, trying to work out the solution to a database failover.

 

“Look, Eddie, I know its New Year’s and all that, but I really need to ask you. Let me take you out sometime?” A sigh escaped Eddie’s lips, suddenly feeling sobered up. He stood seat he’d taken on the wooden step and dusted off the back of his jeans. “Patrick..” he started as his fingers found the door handle. He pushed it open and sighed again, switching the phone to his other ear. “I’m sorry but I just don’t f-”

 

Eddie had walked in just in time for the countdown to finish and watched as every person in the room found somebody to lock lips with and celebrate the start of the new year together. He sighed again, feeling momentarily regretful for missing out on so many things just for work. He was about to pick up his sentence when he spotted Stan and Mike with their arms around each other, and Bill. _And Bill?_ He shook his head with a laugh and started to push his way through the crowd.

 

“I’m sorry Patrick but I’ve told you already. I’m just, I’m not…” he trailed off, eyes meeting another sight that was more interesting than this conversation he’d had before. Beverly was pulling away from Ben, who had that blush on his cheeks again as if it never went away. Right next to them, though,  was a sight he didn’t enjoy quite as much. That familiar head of curls had their back to him, locking lips with a boy Eddie couldn’t name. It was Richie for sure though, his long fingers threaded through the other boy’s hair while they made out. It really wasn’t Eddie’s place to feel jealous, and it made him feel like he was watching something he shouldn’t have. He turned his head, filling with dread. He was really going to spoil his night over a famous boy he didn’t even know? That’s absolutely ridiculous.

 

“Eddie? Are you still there? Happy New Year by the way. I hope this one is great for you.”

 

Eddie’s fingers gripped around his phone tightly as he headed in the direction of the stairs. It was only midnight but he was ready for the night to be over. “Patrick? I’d love to get dinner with you. How about Friday?”

 

                              |x|

 

It was a while after Eddie had stripped out of Beverly’s clothes and laid down on the air mattress in the middle of her floor. There was no blanket, but he wasn’t bothered enough to go and find one. Somebody pushed open the door, stumbling in the room without turning on the light. Eddie’s eyes shot open, but he was too late to see who was backlit by the hallway light before the door closed. They fell into bed next to him and sighed in content, before turning on their side to see Eddie.

 

“What the fuck?” He yelled, backing up onto his far side of the mattress. Eddie was thinking the same thing before he realized who had yelled. He squinted in the darkness, hoping the moonlight peeking through the blinds would be enough to make out the face of the man laying next to him.

“Richie?” he whispered, nervous to know the answer. It was probably around 2am now, and had no idea how long he’d been asleep.

 

“That’s me! He called out. Eddie winced at the volume of Richie’s voice and turned to lay on his back. He took a few breaths to calm himself before he replied. “It’s Eddie”.

 

Richie sat up then, leaning over Eddie. He’d taken off his glasses and was squinting so hard he might as well have just shut his eyes. “Eddie Spaghetti?” he asked, as if he didn’t believe it.

 

Eddie rolled his eyes at the ugly nickname. “Yeah, it’s me. Why are you in here?” he asked. Eddie figured that Richie would be the type to party until it was daylight.

 

“I tapped out. Bev sent me up here. Said I could sleep in her room since there’s nothing in mine yet, and my futon is in the living room occupied by three gay boys.” Richie was still hovering over Eddie’s lying body, and he could feel his hot breath fan his face. It smelled terrible. His hands reached in front of him and found Richie’s bare chest, flattening his palms against his warm skin. “Richie, your breath smells god awful,” Eddie said, shoving the taller boy off of him and back on his side of the bed. “And what do you mean _your_ futon?”

 

“Oh, she didn’t tell you? Marsh and I are living together! Roomies. Bffs. Bunkies. Is that what they call them? Bunkies? Bunkmates.” That made Eddie sit up. A little too fast, actually. His hand flew to cover his mouth, blocking the bile from escaping. He tore open the door to the en suite bathroom and fell to his knees in front of the toilet, emptying his stomach. It was payback for all of the sugar and alcohol he’d consumed, but he didn’t know it would be _this much_.

 

“What is it Eds? The idea of me taking showers with your lady? Making her eggs in the morning? Snuggling on the couch? My sexy b-” Richie was cut off by the slamming of the toilet lid and the flush of the toilet. Eddie turned around, leaning his elbows on his knees.

 

“I’m not sure if you noticed, but I’m very gay.” He said with a small nod to his newfound confidence talking to Richie, and just to top it off, “And don’t call me that,” he added.

 

Richie, who’d sat up in worry when Eddie ran to the bathroom, flopped back down on his back, a wide smile on his face.

 

“I know that, Eds. I saw how you stared at me all night. Just wanted to hear ya say it.”  


End file.
